Loading machine



Mar. 3, 1925.

J. C. FRENCH LOADING MACHINE Filed Jan. 27, 1919 4 Sheets-Sheet l WTNESSES.

Mar. 3, 1925. 1,528,474

J. C. FRENCH LOADING rfzAcHINEv Filed Jan. 27, 1919 4. sheets-sheet 2 Ln/f, W m n ATTORNEY Mar. 3, 1925. l 1,528,474

` J. C. FRENCH LoAljING' MACHINE Filed Jan. 27, 1919 4 Sheets-Sheet` 5 M, @Wehr/ i WTO/Naf Patented Mar. 3,1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES C. ERENCH, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIs, 'AssIGNoit 4BY MEsNn ASSIGNMENTS, 'ro

I'. C. AUSTIN MACHINERY COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

LOADING MACHINE.y

Application led January 27, 1919. Serial No. 273,246.I

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, .JAMES C. FRENCH, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Chicago, Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvementin Loading Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to self-propelled loading machines of the kind that are used for various purposes, more particularly to those which. are employed for loading wagons, or for discharging the sand an gravel or other materials into they hopper of a concrete mixer.

. Generally'stated, the object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved construction whereby sand or gravel or.otl 1er materials lying on the ground can be taken up and carried upward to a polnt where they are then discharged into a wagon or into the hopper of a concrete mlxer, or into any other receptacle,and whereby the de-- vices by which the sand or gravel or other materials are removed from the ground are readily movable in vdifferent directions to facilitate the operation of taking up the mass or'heap of sand or other materials, so

that manual shoveling will not be necessary.

Itis also an ,object to provide certain details and features of construction and combinations tending to increase the 'general efficiency and the desirability of-a portable or 4self-pro lled loading machine of th1s particular c aracter.

To "these and other useful ends the Invention consists in matters hereinafter set forth p and claimed".

In the accom an ing drawings,`

Fig. 1 is a si e e evation of a loading ma`v chine embodying the principles of the 1nvention. y

Fig. 2 is a plan of said machlne.

Fig. 3 is an enlargediplan of said machine, 'with certain portions omitted for convenience of illustration, and to bring into view certain parts below.-

Fig. 4ris a rear elevation of said machine.

As thus illustrated the invention comprises a transversely arranged body frame 1 mounted on caterpillar traction devices 2, of any suitable character, said body frame having a transversely arranged square shaft 3 from which the caterpillars are driven by s rocket chains 4 in any suitable manner.

. ansmission through thesev two sprocket belts is controlled, in each fase, b a'clutch 5 of any suitable character, so t at either caterpillar can be driven alone, asis necessary in turning aroundy or changing the dil rection of travel of lthe machine. The frame is constructed to provide the transverse tracks 6, and a transversely arranged belt conveyer 7 is disposed above said t-racks, bemg supported on the body frame in any suitable manner. Said conveyer belt 7 1s driven by a sprocket chain 8 and the bevel gearing 9, said s rocket belt being suitably connected with t e end of the shaft 3, so that the belt is driven in the required manner; It will be seen that one end of this conveyer belt, which-is the driven end, extends outward and projects laterally from the machine, so that the materials deposited on the belts may be discharged into a wagon or 1nto the hopper of a mixer, or into any other receptacle.

The longitudinally disposed frame 10 is provided with bracket bearings 11 for the axles 12 Of the wheels 13, that support the frame 10 on the tracks 6, so that the frame 10 can be shifted back and forth laterally of the machine, from one side to the other, ther-aterpillars 2 being some distance apart to msure the length necessary for the tracks 6, so that the frame 10 willl have sufficient lateral shift in either direction. Said frame 10.1.s equipped with a bucket elevator comprislng the sprocket chains 14 having the buckets 15, and an inclined frame 16 which is pvota'lly mounted on one end of the frame 10, in any suitable manner, but preferably by means of the transverseshaft 17 mountedin suitable bearings on the Outer end of the frame 10, whereby the endless bucket elevator'is adapted to tilt about a transverse axis. The upper end of the elevator is provided with a spout 18 to receive the contents of the buckets and to discharge the same Onto the belt conveyer 7, in a mun-` ner `that will be readily understood. The sprocket chains 14 are driven by the shaft 19 mounted at the upper end of the frame 16, the lower endof the elevator having a transverse shaft 20 for the sprockets at the lower end of the elevator. A sprocket chain 21 conne ts the shaft 17 with the shaft 19, and a sprocket chain 22 connects the shaft 17- with a shaft 23 on the frame 10 immediately above the shaft 3, so that rotation of the shaft 23 will produce the required operation of the bucket elevator. An engine or motor 24 is connected by a sprocket chain 25 through the friction clutch 26 with the shaft 23, and a clutch 27 controls the transmission of power from the shaft 23 to the sprocket belt 22, whereby .the operation of the bucket elevator can be controlled at will. The outer end of the shaft 23 is provided with a bevel pinion 28 which engages the bevel gears 29 on thetransverse shaft 30, the latter being supported i suitable bearings 31 on the frame 10, and the bevel gears 29 being loose on said shaft. \Vith this arrangement the bevel gears 29 rotate in opposite directions, and the shaft 30 will be rotated in whichever direction is required, by manipulating the clutches 32 that cont-rol the connection of said bevel gears with the shaft. A pinion 33 is fast on the shaft 30, and will rotate with the latter, and the axle 12 of the wheels 13 is provided with a gear 34, whereby rotation of the shaft 30, by closing either friction clutch 32, will rotate the axle 12 and thereby propel the frame 10 along the tracks Gi, in either dirertion, depending upon which clutch is closed. The lower end of the bucket elevator is provided with a pair of rotary feed devices 35 of any suitable character, for throwing the sand or gravel or other materials into the buckets as the latter travel downwardly and then horizontally between said devices. A rod 36 connects the tilting frame. 16 with the frame 10, in any suitable manner, so that the bucket elevator is held in position during the operation thereof, and so that the devices 35 are maintained in a vhorizontal position close to the surface of the street.

As the power plant, which is the-engine or motor 24, is on the shifting frame or body .10, it follows that some special Iar-V rangement must be employed for transmitting the power to the shaft 3, and thisv is accomplished as follows: The gear wheels 37 and 38 are slidable on the square shaft 3, and are carried back and forth on said shaft by bracket bearings which are rigid with the frame 10, so that these two gear wheels are always at the required distance apart. The shaft 23 is provided with loose -pinions 39 and 40, the latter engaging the gearwheel 38, while the pinion 39 engages an idler 41 which in turn engages the gear wheel 37, and with this arrangement the direction of rotation of the shaft 3 will depend upon whether the power is transmitted thereto from the pinion 39 or from the pinion 40, the latter being for forward travel 0f the tractor-like body on which the apparatus is mounted, while the pinions 37, 39 and 41 constitute the gearing for reversing the mechanism and causing the tractor to travel backward. For this purpose, therefore, an ordinary sliding clutch 42 is disposed between the two pinions 39 and 40,

so that either of these pinions can be coupled to the shaft 23 to drive the caterpillar traction devices. This clutch, it will be understood, like the other clutches shown and described, may be an ordinary friction clutch, or a clutch of any suitable, known or approved character. Vith this construction, thel transmission of power from the shaft 23 to the shaft 3 is not interrupted or in any way interfered with by the lateral shifting of the frame 10, inasmuch as the gears 37 and 38 are moved along the shaft 3 and thereby maintained in operative relation to the gears 39, 40 and 41, whereby the clutch mechanism is always operative to start or stop or reverse the direction of travel of the machine.

ll of theclutches, it will be understood,

may be connected by any suitable or well known devices for such purpose (not shown) with levers or other controlling devices disposed within reach of the driver who occupies the seat 43 at the right hand side of the machine, this seat facing laterally toward the discharge end of the conveyer 7, in the manner shown. Such clutch controlling levers and connections are common and well konwn, and do not require illustration or description.

With the foregoing construction, it will be seen that the self-propelled and tractorlike machine thus provided can be steered toward a mass or heap of sand or gravel on the street, so that the devices 35 will be pushed into the materials. In this way, the materials will be thrown into the buckets 15 and will then be carried upwardly by the latter and discharged into the spout 18 .and by the latter onto the transverse belt 7, as previously stated. From the outer end of the belt conveyer 7, which overhangs the side of the machine a distance, the materials can then be discharged into `a wagon or mixer or any other receptacle, as explained. By controlling the caterpillars 2, the machine can be moved forward or backward to facilitate the operation of the buckets 15 in taking up their loads, and thisis also facilitated by the lateral shifting of the' frame 10, inasmuch as by this shifting around, of the bucket elevator and its feeding devices, the latter are main-- tained in operative relation to the heap or pile of sand or gravel or other materials on the street. The shifting around of the tractor-like vehicle, and the lateral shifting of the frame 10 will continue, of course, until the pile or heap of materials is entirely removed from the street. Thus manual shoveling is entirely obviated, inasmuch as the elevator and its feeding devices 35 are movable practically at will to push them into the materials on the ground. The instrumentalities are all operated by the power plant on the shifting frame 10, in

the manner explained, and are all` under the control of the operator, who rides on the frame 10 as the latter shifts back and forth.

Thus the laterally shifting frame 10 travels back and forth below the conveyer 7, and the spout 18 travels back and forth above the conveyer, so that the materials are discharged atdiferent places onto the conveyer. The devices at the lower end of the conveyer are rotatable about their vertical axes, being driven by a double gearing 44, which connects'them with the lower shaft 20, so that the blades of these devices throw the sand into the buckets as the latter travel horizontally after changing their downward motion and before start-- ing upward. These devices 35 may be of the character shown in my Patent No. 1,409,695, granted March 14, 1922.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the machine can be propelled forward until the devices 35 are pushed into the heap or mass of materials, and bythen moving the laterally shifting frame or carriage 10 back and forth, and from time to time,operating the caterpillars 2 at opposite sides of the machine, or one at a time, the entire mass or heap of materials will be gradually taken upward and discharged onto the trans-- versely arranged conveyer. While thc frame or carriage 10 is moving back and forth, the caterpillars 2 can remain stationary, so that the receptacle below the outer end of the conveyer 7 will be in position to receive the materials. However, when the machine 1s moved around, by operation of l the caterpillars 2, the wagen or other receptacle can be shifted accordingly. The machine is not limited to any particular use, however, and may be used in any situation where it becomes desirable to take up sand or gravel or other materials from the ground, and to elevate or carry the materials upward to a point of discharge above. In this way the machine is more particularly adapted for use in transferring sand or gravel or other materials from the street toy a wagon or other receptacle, or to the hopper of a concrete mixer, and is designed to save time and labor.

`The engine or motor 24 may be a prime mover of any suitable character,'such as an ordinary internal combustion engine, but the invention is not limited to any particular motor power nor to the exact constructions shown and described.

Thus, with the construction shown and described, the traction devices 2 are driven by power transmitted thereto from the shifting frame 10, so that the one shifting power plant drives both the'bucket elevator and the tractor truck upon which the various instrumentalities are mounted. The conveyor 7 is entirely above the frame 10, so that the latter shifts back and forth below the conveyor.

lVhat l claim as my invention is:

1. ln a machine for handling materials, the combination ofa main body frame, traction means to support said body frame,` a transversely arranged track on said body frame, ay transversely arranged conveyer disposed above said track and supported'by the body frame, a laterally shifting frame provided with wheels to travel on said'tracli, having mechanism to drive the traction means from the laterally-shifting frame, and an4 endless bucket elevator mounted on said laterally shifting frame and arranged to carry the materials upwardly from the ground to a point above said conveyer, the upper end of said elevator having means to discharge the materials onto said conveyer.

2. A structure as specified in claim 1, said mechanism comprising aV prime mover on said laterally shifting frame,a transverse sli-aft on said mainframe, means slidable on said shaft to transmit power thereto from said prime mover, and driving connections from said shaft to said traction means, in

combination with an operating connection l prime mover and at least oneof the wheels t' of said laterally shifting frame.

A structure as specified m claim 1, said conveyer projecting laterally from the side of the main frame to discharge into a'rc-` ceptacle, and said laterally shifting frame being movable back and forth below said conveyer, and' the upper end of the elevator having a discharge spout which is movable back and forth above the conveyer.

4. A structure as specified in claim 1, in combination with a feeding device for the lower end of said elevator, adapted to throw the materials into the buckets of said elevator.

5. A structure as'specified in claim 1, said main frame having a relatively long transverse shaft forming part of said mechanism and connected to drive said traction means, a connection from said shaft to drive said conveyer, a relatively short transverse shaft on said laterally shifting frame, a prime mover on the laterally shifting frame, a connection from said prime mover to the relatively short shaft, a reversible gear connection between the relatively short shaft andthe relatively longy shaft, so that said long shaft can be rotated in either direction, a reversing gear connection between said short shaft and at least one of the wheels of the laterally shifting frame, and anoperating connection extending from the sho-rt shaft to said elevator.

6. A structure as specified in claim 1, said traction means comprisin a traction belt at each side of said main rame, so that the entire machine is supported by thesetwo traction devices, and means for controlling each traction belt independently of the other, thereby to turn the machine around or change the course of travel thereof, said conveyer projecting laterally a distance over and beyond one of said traction belts.

7. A. structure as specified in claim 1,'said elevator having its lower end kadapted to operate close to the ground surface npon which said traction means travel.

8. In a machine forhandling materials, the combination of a portable main frame having a tracl; thereon, a conveyer arranged parallel with and entirely above said track, said conveyer being supported on the main frame, a shitting frame disposed below said conveyer and provided with wheels to travel on said track, so that said shifting frame is movable back and forth entirely below the conveyer, and apparatus carried by the shifting frame to deliver the materials onto said conveyer, and common power means to operate said conveyer, said shifting frame and said apparatus.

9. A structure .as-specified in claim 8, s aid common power means comprising 'a primel mover mounted on said shifting frame and connectedto operate said machine.

l0. A structure as speciied in claim 8, said shifting frame being of a length to extend a distanceoutward from each side of saidv conveyer, saidy common power means being mounted on one projecting end of said shifting frame, means on the other projecting end of said laterally shifting frame to support said apparatus, a power transmitting connection extending under the conveyer from said power means t0 said apparatus, and means to connect the power means with at least one of the wheels of said shifting frame.

1,1. In a portable, tractor-mounted loading machine adapted to gather materials from the ground and convey them to a re ccptacle being loaded, the combination of a self-propelled main frame, a conveyer on said main framey extending to a charging position at the side and beyond the tractor, a shi` 'ting frame adapted to travel along said main frame in the direction in which vsaid conveyer extends, and means comprising an endless .bucket elevator on said shifting frame for gathering materials from a heap on the ground and conveying them upwardly to position for ydischarge onto said conveyer.

l2. In a portable, tractor-mounted loading` machine adapted to gather materials 'from the ground and convey them to a receptacle being loaded, the combination of a self-propelled main frame, a conveyer on said main frame extending to a charging positionat the side and beyond the tractor, a shifting 'trame adapted totravel along said main frame in the direction in which said conveyor extends, and means comprising` an endless bucket elevator on said shifting frame for gathering materials from a heap on the ground and conveying them upwardly to position for discharge onto s aid conveyer, said shifting frame having a power plant thereon vconnectedto drive the machine and for operating said conveyers.

JAMESY c. FRENCH. 

